Doctor could earn whistleblower award in suit against Robert Stokes

GRAND RAPIDS -- A dermatologist who discovered the fraudulent billing that led to the downfall of Dr. Robert Stokes stands to gain up to $667,156 from a whistleblower lawsuit he filed against the imprisoned physician.

U.S. District Judge Gordon Quist recently awarded the government a $2.6 million judgment against Stokes in a civil lawsuit originally filed by Dr. Robert J. Lamberts.

Lamberts was the first to find Stokes improperly billed Medicare for more expensive procedures than he actually performed on patients. The doctor spotted the misdeeds that landed Stokes in prison for 10 1/2 years while treating those who left Stokes' care, records show.

The government prosecuted Stokes and took over the whistleblower claim, which Lamberts filed in September 2005. Six months after that, federal authorities indicted Stokes on multiple charges of health care fraud.

Lamberts declined to comment on his part in the civil litigation. The federal False Claims Act allows whistleblowers to share between 15 and 25 percent of a collected judgment.

It is unclear how much money the government will be able to secure to satisfy the court's order of a $2.6 million award. Federal prosecutors also have a $1.5 million restitution award against Stokes and that takes collection priority.

The government still is reviewing Stokes and his corporation's finances to determine his assets, which are frozen by court order.

Stokes' East Grand Rapids mansion -- which he lost to foreclosure -- was a significant part of his worth, authorities said.

Stokes' appeal of his criminal convictions remains pending and court records show his attorney is considering an appeal of the civil sanctions.